Powerful storm lashes eastern U.S. with snow, arctic cold

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A deadly winter storm hit the U.S. East Coast on Monday with freezing rain, snow and near-record cold, cancelling about 2,700 flights, shutting down Washington and closing schools and local governments.

The latest in a series of weather systems to pummel the winter-weary eastern United States, the storm dumped about 4 inches on the U.S. capital by early afternoon as it swept from the Mississippi Valley to the Atlantic coast, the National Weather Service said.

Brian Hurley, a weather service meteorologist, said temperatures would be about 30 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) below normal as a cold front settled in from Great Plains to the Atlantic coast.

"It's really, really cold, temperatures dropping into the teens (Fahrenheit, minus-7 to minus-10 Celsius) and the normal highs are around 50 (10C) at this point," he said.

At least four weather-related traffic deaths in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee were blamed on the wide-ranging storm over the weekend.

Although the snow bypassed northern cities including New York and Boston, by early on Monday New York's temperature had already peaked at 23 F (-5 C), Hurley said.

Freeze warnings were in place from the Canadian border into Texas. The main electric grid operator for most of Texas issued a conservation alert due to expected higher demand, and heavy sleet left about 30,000 homes and businesses in Memphis, Tennessee, out of power, Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported.

The storm shrouded Washington, D.C., in snow and prompted the U.S. government to shutter its area offices, and Congress put off scheduled votes.

MERCURY STUCK IN SINGLE DIGITS

Steve Zubrick, a weather service meteorologist for the Washington area, said overnight lows were forecast at 9F (-13C). That would be close to the March 1873 record of 4F (-16C), the last time Washington temperatures went below 10F (-12C) in the month of March.

The governors of New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi and Tennessee declared states of emergency, and schools and local governments throughout the area closed. Maryland and West Virginia shut state offices as the storm dumped a foot of snow on the Appalachian Mountains.

In Beckley, West Virginia, the snow forced schools to close, another headache for officials already struggling to make up 15 days of school lost because of weather.

But for student Johnathan Tippley, 15, the day off meant time to grab a snow shovel and make money.

"On a day like this you can make a killing. Plus, there's nothing else to do right now ... might as well make some cash," he said.

About 2,700 U.S. flights were canceled and 3,300 were delayed on Monday because of the storm, according to airline tracking site FlightAware.com.

The worst-hit airport was Washington's Reagan National, where almost 80 percent of flights were called off.

Esteban Rodriguez, 26, said he was resigned about rescheduling his flight back home to Central America from Reagan National. He said he had grown accustomed to winter weather while studying sustainable energy in Iceland.

"Even I am used to it, and I'm from Guatemala," Rodriguez said as a dozen snowplows labored to clear runways and taxiways of snow.

On the West Coast, a weather front will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest and northern California through Tuesday, bringing much-needed rain and snow to the region, the National Weather Service said.

Snow also is expected over parts of the Rocky Mountains and the northern Great Plains, it said.